The Nikon F3, one of the most legendary cameras ever made, is celebrating its 45th birthday this year – and in those 45 years it has been used by some of the all-time photographic greats, everywhere from outer space to the world's most dangerous war zones.
Launched back in March 1980, the Nikon F3 carried a price tag of ¥175,000 – which in today's money is about ¥266,000, which is approximately $1,880 / £1,400 / AU$2,900. An absolute bargain for one of the best film cameras (and, indeed, best cameras period) ever made – and you got a 50mm f/1.4 lens with it!
Built for professional use, the Nikon F3 was quickly embraced by the biggest names in the business and remained in production for 21 years. Indeed, it's so well made that the camera is still being used today.
Famous names that wielded the Nikon F3 include such as icons as photojournalist Steve McCurry, wildlife pro Jim Brandenburg, fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh and numerous war photographers like Eddie Adams.
In fact, Nikon ran a series of advertisements for the F3 during the Eighties featuring Adams and co with the tagline, "Going to war with any other camera would be taking a risk."
The Nikon F3 was designed by legendary designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, whose other iconic designs included the Lotus Esprit, DMC DeLorean (aka "the Back to the Future car"), the Seiko Speedmaster Chronograph watch and the Beretta Neos handgun.
There would be innumerable variants of the camera released over the years, both for commercial and commemorative purposes. The Nikon F3P (for "Press"), for example, boasted rugged construction and weather-sealing to withstand heavy field use by journalists.
It also formed a crucial part of Nikon's relationship with NASA, which continues to this day. The Space Agency was looking for more portable alternatives to the Hasselblad cameras it had traditionally been using.
Prototypes of the Nikon F3 were developed for the Space Shuttle program in the late Seventies, alongside the consumer version of the camera that would ultimately be released to the public.
Ultimately, two versions of the F3 were produced for NASA – the 'Small Camera', with a 72-exposure film back, and the 'Big Camera' with a 250-exposure back. The cameras boasted a dark slide that enabled astronauts to switch backs loaded with different film stock.
There was also the Nikon F3H (for "High Speed") designed ahead of the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, to deliver a blistering 13 frames per second continuous burst when combined with a special motor drive.
Today, the Nikon F3 has obviously been eclipsed in technology by successive flagships – most recently the Nikon Z8 and Z9. But will either of those cameras still be working in 45 years time? I'm betting they won't… but I bet the F3 will!
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Take a look at the best Nikon cameras of today, along with the best Nikon lenses. And if you need something for pro use, make sure to check out the best professional cameras on the market.
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